Microsoft Launches Windows Azure Cloud OS

Microsoft introduced the Azure platform, where it will both run its own Web applications and allow developers to build and run apps using any language and environment. The announcement is Microsoft’s admission that, “the truth is evident: Cloud computing is here.” (Rough Type)

The platform will be available for free during its preview stage, and subsequently will be priced based on consumption: CPU time, bandwidth, storage and transactions. Microsoft says pricing will be competitive and will vary based on different service levels.

Microsoft chief software architect Ray Ozzie said Microsoft is finally “deeply and genuinely combining the best of software with the best of services.”

Azure puts Microsoft squarely in competition with other providers of Internet storage and computing services, including Amazon, Salesforce.com, and Rackspace.

Sources: (Rough Type, InfoWorld, CNET)

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• Windows Azure: Microsoft Mainstreams The Cloud (ZDNet)
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• Unanswered Questions About Microsoft’s New Cloud Service “Azure” (Silicon Alley Insider)